A Pinch of Salt

This idea came to me after President Obama's State of the Union address last night. In a fatuous gesture, Mr. Obama said he was freezing the budget at it's current level for the next three years. This, after first raising it to it highest level in history, and then exempting defence, medicare, social security, and a fourth item that I cannot recall. This left a net result of .58 of 1 percent that could not be raised. This man's cynacism regarding the average citizen's ability to recognize his shell games is stunning.

Air Ball.

Coakley refers to Martha Coakley, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, who decided to run for the vacant seat left by the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. She was challenged by a state senator named Scott Brown, and led the race by over twenty points approximately one month before the election. (That is what one would expect in this very liberal state). Then, as the current administration, and Democrat Congress continued their one sided assault on all things American, Scott Brown began to surge in the polls. By election day he was actually favored by four to six points, depending on the source, in spite of the fact that President Obama flew into Massachussets just two days before the election to lend his credibility, and the weight of the oval office to her cause. Ms. Coakley was soundly defeated with a spread of five or six points, as predicted in the final days of the campaign. Predictably, the mainstream media joined top mouthpiece Democrats in putting the blame on Ms. Coakley for the loss; or in some cases, just dismissing it as local politics. The facts are that Mr. Brown ran very specifically on the issues of the way Health Care, and Terrorism were being handled in Washington. It was a direct challenge to the White House and Congress, and resulted in a monumental defeat considering this was "Teddy Kennedy's" seat, in what many referred to as the most Blue state in the union. The issues, and the total and arrogant lack of regard of the opinions of the majority of the electorate are what defeated Mr. Obama's surrogate, Ms. Coakley. This stunning defeat had less to do with the persona of Mr. Brown, and more to do with the fact that he did an excellent job framing the debate, and articulating the issues.

Cheap Shot

Bee gives new meaning to the term, Food Pyramid. This one was inspired by the trend in America toward a predominantly obese society. (includes yours truly). My weight gain began in earnest in the 1970 - 1980 span when we became obsessed with fat consumption, and red meat consumption. By the way, that was the launch pad decade for the obesity crisis we are experiencing. Later, in the nineties, I watched as a co-worker, and good friend, began shedding pounds. It seemed like he did so right before my eyes. Inquiry revealed that he was on the Atkins lifestyle. I asked him what that entailed. He explained about the low "simple" carb approach. He explained that he could eat vegatables, particularly green ones, as much as he wanted to. He also explained that protein (meat, poultry, some dairy) were also part of the mix. Oh, no. Suicide. I immediately began to harrangue him about what he was doing. Loss of weight be damned, I didn't want to see my friend kill himself. He recommended that I read the book; that's the Dr. Atkins book. No need really. Like most folks in our society, I was much more content to emphatically preach what had been fed to me for over thirty years. (via teachers, the media, the medical practicioners, and many other well meaning sources.) Why should I read something, when small, appetizer size sound bites have served me so well for lo this long? Hmmmm. Except they didn't serve me well. I was gaining weight; had the requisite heart attack, at 42!!, felt sluggish, and had blood metrics (triglycerides, cholesterol, etc. that were off the charts). Then, a few years later, I decided to read this nonsense that Dr. Atkins was spewing. Oops. It made sense. The science of it is clearly explained. It wasn't new science. Just "conveniently" ignored science. Let's give it a try. No small amount of trepidation here, I assure you. Having had first hand proof of what heart attacks feel like, and having subsequently gone through a quintuple bypass, I was not eager for a repeat performance. The result. Weight went down. Well, I guess we knew that might happen. I had observed it myself. What I did not observe in my previous experience, was my friend's blood metrics. Mine improved dramatically. Triglycerides plumeted. Cholesterol fell to acceptable limits. My energy increased. I felt better. Case closed. Then I started thinking about observations in nature. Who are the carnivores, and who are the herbavores. Which ones look fit, run fast, and are alert. Which ones are obese, and sluggish. Hence, this Kartune. (I'll bet you never knew how much went into one Kartune. :))

A salty guy.

Okay, so this time around it's going to be salt. The last time the nanny state was in power (the 70's ?), it was refined sugar. These are the same folks who gave us the food pyramid, which they seem to still be clinging to, and which when any serious tracking and graphing of obesity in America is undertaken, seems to be the launch pad for our journey toward obesity as a nation. So, what am I saying? Refined sugar is good for you? Salt is good for you? No, not really. Everything in moderation...I'm just saying that when government bureaucrats dictate how we should live our lives, it usually does not work out very well.

Clueless

As a result of the crotch bomber, President Obama decided to dress down the Homeland Security department. He stopped short, however, of removing Secretary Janet Nepolitano from heading up that department. He explained to us that it is a systemic problem, and not a person problem. Could this be because he appointed her, and is afraid that her removal would be a reflection on his judgement? There is a follow up Kartune to this one (previous frame). It would all be in this frame, but I'm not sure how to make that happen yet.

Game Day

This is the result of our intelligence community missing the signs of the Nigerian Terrorist, aka, the underwear bomber, which allowed him to board a plane and fly to Detroit. Once above Detroit, in order to maximize the damage his mission would cause, he attempted to detonate an explosive pack that was hidden in his underwear. Fortunately, a Dutch passenger saw the attempt, and intervened, and also the bomb failed to explode, and resulted only in the terrorist buring himself. He was subsequently arrested, and charged, and as of this writing is in a federal prison. The Obama administration is choosing to process this terrorist as a criminal rather than as a prisoner of war.